A Ghost Story
by Dethwalker
Summary: This happens in my Castleverse along with Mercy Street and Masks. It is set a little over a month after the end of Masks. Strange dreams haunt Castle and Kate. Is there any significance in the dreams and what does the abandoned Bailey Mansion have to do with it all.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N):** I am declaring myself officially crazy. I was in the middle of the first chapter of night patrol when this particular 'gem' popped into my mind. Enjoy and please forgive the typos and grammar snafus

" **A Ghost Story"**

 **Castle Fan Fiction**

 **By Dethwalker**

 **Chapter 1**

" **Nightmares"**

 **Beckett and Castle**

 **Beckett 3:01am EDT**

 _Kate stood in the narthex of Golden Oak Memorial Church, looking down the aisle to a casket in front of the Communion rail. This was where many of the Police funerals were held. The church was full with many policemen and their families. She scanned the crown for familiar faces. She saw Esposito and Ryan in their dress blues seated by Captain Montgomery and the Mayor. Beckett wondered who had died. She searched her memory but could not remember and deaths._

 _The Sun was bright outside and the stained glass windows shot splinters of colored light across the floor. Kate looked down to see that she was wearing the red dress that Castle had bought her for their first "date", where they were tracking down the home invader. She felt embarrassed at the inappropriateness of her attire._

" _It is time to go in and sit with the family" the reverend told her firmly._

" _No I am not dressed right; I need to change into my blues."_

" _It is too late for that, go and pay your respects to the honored dead."_

 _Nonplussed Kate began her walk down the aisle. Clouds must have covered the sun, because the church became dark. The church doors must still have been open because she felt a cold wind wrap its icy skeletal fingers around her. Gooseflesh broke out all over her body and she shivered violently._

 _Beckett felt an odd sensation pass through her, as if she were both frightened and sick at the same time. She looked at the mourners but they all sat staring straight ahead, their faces blank and emotionless, Fear lodged itself deep in her stomach and she could feel it clawing inside her trying desperately to break free. She had never in her whole life felt such paralyzing fear. She felt as if her lungs had deflated. She wanted to scream but she could not. She wanted to gasp for breath but she felt she was suffocating._

 _Kate didn't know how but she made it to the pew where Javier and Kevin were. She moved to sit but in unison Esposito, Ryan, The Captain and the Mayor all looked at her and intoned in dead voices. "You must pay your respects to the honored dead."_

 _She felt as if she were actually dying from fright. She now knew who was in the casket and she knew that her life would end when she look into the face of the man she had loved but not found the courage to tell him. Kate looked toward the front and saw a lone figure standing beside the coffin. She was dressed all in black and a black veil obscured her red hair._

 _When Beckett passed the row of family she felt compelled to say something. She looked at Martha who was dressed as if ready to go on stage, her make-up almost garish._

" _Martha…." Kate began._

" _Don't talk to me!" Martha spat, "If you could've just told him that you loved him, he wouldn't have killed himself."_

" _That's right Martha." Meredith agreed, "Kate felt that she was too good for him. She is too emotionally stunted to love."_

 _Kate could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her grief and anguish caused her to fall to her knees. She wanted to scream that she had loved him, but had no breath. When she looked back at Martha and Meredith they were both expressionless. "You must pay your respects to the honored dead"_

 _Kate pushed herself up and moved closer to Alexis. Beckett's body was now wracked with sobs. "Alexis… Alexis… I am so sorry. I loved him. I did…." She said in a whisper._

 _Alexis was as stone faced as the rest. She looked at Kate coldly. Kate could see tears welling up in Alexis' eyes. When she spoke it was in a dead tone:_

" _ **When the Lovers cross the Portal lost,**_

 _ **And the witches Bell doth toll the hour**_

 _ **The curse-ed dead will raise his head**_

 _ **And touch them with his power"**_

" _Alexis, Honey, I don't understand" Kate stammered._

 _Alexis just intoned again but with all the people in the church joined in:_

" _ **When the Lovers cross the Portal lost,**_

 _ **And the witches Bell doth toll the hour**_

 _ **The curse-ed dead will raise his head**_

 _ **And touch them with his power"**_

 _Alexis pointed at the open casket. Kate finally got the courage to look inside. As she knew she would, she saw Castle lying there, but he was not composed as the mortician would have done. He lay there dead eyes staring at her in condemnation. His face was pale and bloodless. There were two ugly gaping wounds on each arm, which were still bleeding. The wounds went from wrist to elbow. A bloody straight razor was clutched in his right hand. Beckett screamed…._

Kate covered her mouth to stifle her scream. She was sitting up in her own bed, drenched in sweat and shaking. She was thankful that it was only a dream. It had felt so real. She looked at her clock the red numbers seemed to glow a blood red.3:01 am. How much she wished that she was with Castle right now. She wanted to reassure herself that he was ok. But he was not here. He wasn't even in New York. Once he had recovered enough from his bullet wound to travel, Black Pawn and demanded that he go on a book tour. They had wanted to reassure his readers that he was alive and well. He had been gone a month and she missed him horribly.

Beckett got up and made her way to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was plastered to her forehead. Her eyes, which Richard loved to gaze into, or so he said, still looked haunted. She was aghast to notice that she was still crying. She had never, ever been this affected by a dream before. She was fairly sure that she had just experienced a Night Terror. If Castle's nightmares had been this bad and he had had them nightly for more than a month, she was amazed that he was still sane. She let her sweat drenched pajama's fall to the floor and with a still shaking hand she drew the shower curtain aside and stepped in. For a half hour she stood unmoving letting the hot water take the chill in her soul away, knowing that the hot water would not last forever she quickly washed and got out. After drying off she went into her closet. As she grabbed her robe off the hook on the back of the door, something caught her eye., The red dress hanger and all lay on the floor.

Her phone buzzed from a text message she looked to see three messages from Castle. As she was picking up the phone to reply, it rang.

"Beckett."

"Kate," came the familiar voice. "I'm sorry I know its late, but I just had to call…."

 **Castle 2:01am CDT**

 _Rick stood in the narthex of Golden Oak Memorial Church, looking down the aisle to a casket in front of the Communion rail. This was where many of the Police funerals were help. The church was full with many policemen and their families. He scanned the crown for familiar faces. He saw Esposito and Ryan in their dress blues seated by Captain Montgomery and the Mayor. He wondered who had died. Rick searched his memory but could not remember any deaths._

 _The Sun was bright outside and the stained glass windows shot splinters of colored fire across the floor. He looked down to see that he was wearing the splotched rented tux that he had worn to his first Edgar Awards dinner. 'This is different' he thought._

" _It is time to go in and sit with the family" the reverend told him firmly._

" _No I am not dressed right; I need to change. It will just take a minute or two. I don't live that far awa…"_

" _It is too late for that, go and pay your respects to the honored dead."_

 _Nonplussed Rick began his walk down the aisle. Clouds must have covered the sun, because the church became dark. The church doors must still have been open because he felt a cold wind wrap its icy skeletal fingers around his spine. Gooseflesh broke out all over his arms and neck and he shivered violently._

 _He felt an odd sensation pass through him, as if he were having a feeling of Déjà vu, which left him feeling both frightened and sick at the same time. Rick looked at the mourners but they all sat staring straight ahead, their faces blank and emotionless, Fear lodged itself deep in his stomach and he could feel it clawing inside his gut trying desperately to break free. He had thought that he would never feel such paralyzing fear again. Castle felt as if his lungs were burning with the need for oxygen. Rick wanted to cry out but he could not. ._

 _Rick staggered to where Javier and Kevin were. He moved to sit down but in unison Esposito, Ryan, The Captain and the Mayor all looked at her and intoned in dead voices. "You must pay your respects to the honored dead."_

 _He felt his heart freeze with fright. He knew who was in the casket and Rick knew that his life would end when he looked into the face of the woman he loved but not found the courage to ask her to be his. He looked toward the front and saw a lone figure standing beside the coffin. He was drees in black and grey camo uniform with a black helmet obscuring his face._

 _When Castle passed the row of family he felt compelled to say something. He looked at Jim Beckett in disheveled clothes and smelling of alcohol, his eyes unfocused._

" _Mr. Beckett …." Rick began._

" _Don't talk to me!" Jim spat, "If you not told Kater that you loved her, she wouldn't have killed herself."_

" _That's right Jim." A woman who looked a lot like Kate but older agreed, "He is a selfish lover, always taking and leaving nothing behind. She was too good for him. He is too emotionally stunted to love."_

 _Rick could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks._

" _Oh no, Kate No!" His grief and anguish caused him to fall to his knees._

 _He wanted to scream that he had loved her, but had no breath. When he looked back at Jim and who he assumed was Joanna they were both expressionless. "You must pay your respects to the honored dead"_

 _Rick pushed himself up and moved closer to Dominic Strom who stood by the coffin. Castle's body was now wracked with sobs. "Dominic you bastard did you do this to her? I'll kill you if you did. Do you hear me… I will make you sorry. I loved her. I did…." Rick said in a whisper._

 _Dominic was as stone faced as the rest. He looked at Castle coldly. Rick could see the anger in his nemesis eyes. When he spoke it was in a dead tone:_

" _ **When the Lovers cross the Portal lost,**_

 _ **And the witches Bell doth toll the hour**_

 _ **The curse-ed dead will raise his head**_

 _ **And touch them with his power"**_

" _What, I don't understand" Castle stammered._

 _Dominic just intoned again but with all the people in the church joined in:_

" _ **When the Lovers cross the Portal lost,**_

 _ **And the witches Bell doth toll the hour**_

 _ **The curse-ed dead will raise his head**_

 _ **And touch them with his power"**_

 _Dominic pointed at the open casket. Rick finally got the courage to look inside. As he knew he would, he saw Kate lying there, but she was not composed as the mortician would have done. She lay there dead her one eyes staring at her in condemnation. There was a small bullet hole on the right side of her head and the other half of her face was gone. Kates gun still smoking was clutched in her right hand. Castle cried out…._

Castle set bolt upright in bed. He could almost hear the echo of his cry bounce around the hotel. He looked longingly at the bed and prayed that Kate would appear there safe and unharmed. But when he opened his eyes she did not appear.

There was a pounding on his door and a woman's voice "Rick!"

"I am ok Paula." How he wished that it had been Kate

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah…. It must have been the Indian food."

"All right… if you are sure"

Castle heard Paula pad down the hall. He got up and washed his face and moved to look out at the Chicago Skyline. Each city seemed to have its own unique configuration, so each skyline was different. He missed the view of the New York skyline that he had from his office. He missed New York, but mostly he missed Alexis and Kate. He picked up his phone and texted Kate

He glanced at his watch and pondered his nightmare. It wasn't the one he had been plagued with since the shooting. A dream he had thought he had shaken before the book tour. He caught himself rubbing his scar. Normally Rick shook off his dreams fairly well, except that other one. But there was something that felt different about this one. Rick's imagination was his gift and his curse, so a normal nightmare could take on ominous tones.

He Texted Kate. She was asleep, he knew. The time difference was only an hour. He just couldn't help feeling anxious. He texted Kate again. The pit of his stomach sank. He just knew something was wrong. He couldn't help himself, he called kate.

"Beckett." came the familiar voice

"Kate," Rick sighed with relief. "I'm sorry I know it's late, but I just had to call…."

 **A/N):** Ok readers what do you think? Are you interested? Do I continue? Let me know your thoughts. Yeah it is kind of a cross between Stephen King and a Bergman film but it was fun… Wasn't it?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N):** sorry that this is brief. As always forgive the typo's and grammar. Enjoy! **D.**

 **Chapter 2**

" **Whispers in the Dark"**

 **Beckett & Castle**

" _Kate," Rick sighed with relief. "I'm sorry I know it's late, but I just had to call…."_

"It's ok Castle, I wasn't asleep." Kate hated that her voice still trembled

"You up because of a case?" Castle queried.

Kate considered lying but thought better of it. "No I was just up." She still felt bad, but knew that if she told Richard about her dream that he would worry. She cut off the light in the bathroom and sat down on the bed, in the dark and tried to pretend that Castle was sitting on the bed beside her." How are you doing?"

"Me?" Castle seemed surprised. "Truthfully… I am sick and tired of being away from you and Alexis. I have been traveling all around the country reading from Heat Wave and answering the same questions over and over again. I have to keep biting my tongue so I don't just How incredible you are."

"Castle…" Beckett was both pleased and embarrassed.

"What can I say? I think about you all the time. We left things sort of hanging and I am anxious to see you again. I am feeling much better."

"What about the nightmares are you still having those."

Castle seemed to falter. "I have had a couple…."

"Richard if you come home looking like a zombie I am going to be pissed"

"No really… the first night or two were bad but since then no worries."

Beckett just knew that he was holding back. She could hear it in his voice and feel it in her bones. She debated on whether to push, and decided that they needed the honesty. "Richard…. please…."

"All right, I didn't want to worry you but I had a nightmare right before I called you. But it wasn't the one I usually have. All the major players were there but it was a different dream."

"What time did you wake up?" she asked. She did not know why but she felt an ice cold lump in the pit of her stomach.

"My watch said 3:01 am but it is still set to eastern time so 2:01… why?"

"No reason …." She hedged

"Now who is holding out on whom?" Castle gently chided.

"Ok…Ok… I woke up at the same time from a nightmare,"

"Strange, was it your old nightmare…?"

"No it was more like your usual…. I was attending a funeral but I was in that red gown you bought me for the charity auction."

"I can understand you waking up. That dress is a knock-out but wild inappropriate for a funeral."

"That's not when I woke. You were dead. You had killed yourself because…" she could not bring herself to say the words even now

Then he said something that made her blood run cold. "When Lover cross the Portal lost"

"Where did you hear that?" she almost screamed.

"Strom said it in my dream, twice in fact."

Beckett repeated the entire couplet. "Was that it?"

""Yeah, I think it was. You know Kate if I were more superstitious, I'd be really freaking out right now. I wonder if we both read it somewhere."

"All right Castle go through the entire nightmare as you remember it."

Castle went through the entire dream, from start to finish, when he got to the part about the cold wind gooseflesh covered her and she began to shake involuntarily. When he described the sight in the coffin she held her breath. How could their nightmares be so similar? She could tell even over the phone that recounting the dream was taking its toll on him. She could not comprehend the reasons for their shared dreaming. When he was done she gave him the differences in her dream. In the end they were both quiet for a long time. Then he whispered.

"Kate I need to ask you something. I don't want you to wig out on me…ok?

"Ok." Her voice was soft and fragile.

"Have you ever thought about committing suicide by gun?"

"You will remember that I told you that after I became a cop that I went through a really dark time, Well before u started seeing Dr. Simmons, i… I…"

"It's ok Kate, I am not here to judge"

"I actually tried but the gun jammed. It scared me so much that I got help."

"I used a straight razor. Do you remember that I told you that I had stared down death when I was in College?"

"Yes."

"It was freshman year near midterms and I had just broken up with my girlfriend. I had sent a couple of manuscripts away and just gotten rejection letters. I was very near to being asked nicely not to come back to school because my grades were so low. I was a party animal back then. I felt stuck and I had all these characters in my head that were clamoring for attention. This is before I learned how to filter them out. I was desperate, depressed and downright tired. So I drew a warm bath on a Friday night with my roommate gone for the weekend. Then slit my wrists."

"But I have never seen any scars."

"They are there but they are very faint. The doctor who was in the ER was specializing in Plastic Surgery but was on his ER rotation as a student. He did a good job stitching me up."

"So did you change your mind while sitting in the tub and get medical help?"

"No, it was Bricks that saved me. He knew that I was having a real bad time so he decided to come for a visit. He found me, almost dead, and called the paramedics. It was a close call, the doctor who sewed me up said that I had shaken the Grim Reapers hand."

Since neither of the pair was sleepy they talked until dawn, when their batteries died. They talked on inconsequential things. Each gaining strength from the voice of the other. Kate lay in her bed and felt a drowsy lassitude creep over her and after the call ended she slipped into a dreamless sleep which ended all to soon and her alarm rang.

 **A/N):** Let me know how you think this is going. Next Chapter "Brick's and Stones" tne return of Bricks for a cameo. :) **D.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n):** Enjoy **D.**

 **Chapter 3**

" **Bricks and Stones"**

 **Beckett & Bricks**

Kate sat at the back corner booth at Rossi's Bistro she had been trying to shake the nightmare from the night before. Work, which would normally have given her shelter, was not helping. She was in a decidedly melancholy mood. Ryan and Esposito had gone to chase don a couple of leads on a cold case so she had decided that she would treat herself to Rossi's for lunch. She had not been here since she and Alexis had eaten here what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Why Detective Beckett what a delightful surprise, to see you here"

She looked up to see Benjamin Smythe standing beside the Table. Despite her melancholy she smiled. He was just under six feet tall and was dressed in a light grey, Italian suit. She was surprised to see that he was growing a goatee.

"Mr. Smythe.: she returned.

"Please Detective, you wound me. Must we be on such formal terms."

"Well you called me Detective."

"Touché', but when last we met we were on opposite sides of an interrogation table, with me right in your crosshairs."

"Well we are not there now." Kate rejoined

"All too true, My apologies…. Would you prefer Kate or Catherine?"

"Kate, please, not even my father calls me Catherine. Can you join me?"

"Why thank you Kate, it would be my honor." Bricks sat down opposite her.

"So how are you and Ricky doing? I've noticed that the two of you have been able to stay below the rumormonger's radar."

"Well we haven't seen each other in over a month," Kate said bitterly.

"Oh, Heavens no, you and Ricky didn't part ways. Why that's terrible. I must speak to him most strongly. He has made a grave error."

"No, Bricks, it's not that. He has been on a book tour, He has been out of the city for over a month."

"Ah, well that is good to hear. I would be most displeased if Ricky had broken your heart." Bricks confided.

"How did you and he get to be so close? Surely it wasn't that the other boys were picking you."

"Ah yes, well if I remember correctly we were in the 4th grade. It was my first time at a boarding school…"

That's a little young for boarding school." Kate inquired.

"Yes. I suppose that it is a little young but my parents had discoursed that I was different. Not my orientation, but that I that I was a troubled youth. Ricky was at the school because his mother had been involved in a traveling theater group. Truthfully I think that even back then I knew that my attraction was to my gender, but that is another story. Anyway Ricky and I were in the same dorm. It was not like a college dorm room, but a large hall with a dozen bunk beds. I was given the bed next to Ricky. Well-being so young and feeling very sorry for myself. I was, it pains me to say, sniveling"

Kate giggled at the thought on Ben sniveling.

"Well, in the middle of the night I woke to Ricky returning to his bed."

"Gone to see a girl I suppose." Kate guessed.

"Yes and no, he had snuck down to the kitchens and procured a couple of ice cream cones. He had sweet talked them out of one of the matrons down there. He gave me one and proceeded to give me the lay of the land as it were. Then told me a grand tale of how he had been captured by pirates and how he was a noble's son. I don't.t think he intended me to believe it, during his description of the island the pirates were living on, I fell asleep. And over the next month whenever I couldn't sleep he would regale me with another tale. I even got to the point that I would ask him for another story whenever I started to get upset. His stories were quite good especially for an nine year old."

"I believe you about the stories, but I can't see Richard being that intuitive."

"Ah, you are not looking closely enough, and if the truth be told I was a very loud sniveler. He could have done it just to shut me up."

"Ben," Kate inquired, "I know that Richard had some sort of trauma as a child. Do you know what it was?"

"Alas dear lady, that was something that he has not shared with even me. I can tell you it happened the summer of our eleventh year. He came to school that fall older, and more introspective. It took months before he would relax and start acting like himself. He never spoke of it to me or anyone, but I do know that it was then that the notebooks started."

"The notebooks?" Beckett asked.

"Yes he brought a stack of notebooks from home that year and whenever he had a spare moment he would be writing in them. He showed me one; it was part novel part diary and part automatic writing."

"Automatic Writing?"

"Yes, he would just start writing random words and then he would gradually begin to make sense. He would write things like dog ,cat, ball, track and such then he would write a poem or short story even story ideas."

Beckett decided to broach the subject that had been in the forefront of her mind all day. "Benny… I was talking to Rick last night and he told me that you saved his life.

"Oh, I was wondering why you were being so pensive today. Ricky had saved both my dignity and my life by then so I was just returning the favor.

"What happened?"

"It was sometime right around Halloween of our freshman year, He had called me mid-week, to tell me that he had just broken up with Tabatha, strange girl, New age religions were the rage and Tabatha was in the midst of all of them, I think that she finally turned Wiccan. Anyway she and Ricky were like oil and water. He was mercurial and she was fire. Apparently they were sexually compatible, but little else."

"Now that I believe, "Kate stated.

Ben smiled. "You know how Ricky can be when he sees someone taking themselves too seriously; he will use his acid with to skewer them."

"Oh yes, "Kate has seen both suspect and cop squrm under the barrage of Castle's wit. Will came to mind.

"Well she was and he did. But I think it was the rejection letter that really sent him spiraling down. Three of the four were just the standard 'Thank You but No thank you.' But the forth was sent by someone who wanted to strongly discourage Ricky, it was hand written and downright vile in language. It said in no uncertain terms that he had no talent."

"Were they ever wrong."

"I quite agree. Ricky, the poor fellow, was devastated. When he called me I could hear how broken he was, so I booked a flight right then, My parents made me go to Harvard, And of course. Ricky was here in New York. I got there as quickly as I could. When I got there he was so deathly pale and the water was so red, I thought I was too late. His pulse was weak but he was still among the living. The EMT's raced him to the hospital. It was touch and go for several hours but as you know he pulled through."

Silence reigned for a few minutes, both lost in their silent thoughts. Kate that she had seen some of the pain of Castles past while he was recovering from his gunshot wound, but could hardly believe that Richard could sink so low."

"Kate, put it out of your mind, He is not the same man he was back then. You have helped him cope with his tragedies es and he is a better man for it. If you could have only heard him the day after you met him, you would know. He called me, truly excited. He said that he had me the perfect woman. She was smart, driven, a fan of his work and someone who wouldn't put up with his antics. He used another word but one does not use such words in the company of a lady. Come. Let us leave all things dark and allow me to regale with the tale of when one of Ricky's rivals stole his clothes and towel from the showers and made Ricky walk wet and naked back to his room during parent's visitation one year."

They ordered lunch and Bricks wove more cheerful tales of Castle's youth. Kate began to relax and her mood lifted as Bricks recounted several pranks perpetrated by and on Castle. By the end of lunch Kate had put last night's nightmare behind her.

As she was walking back to the 12th, her phone rang. It was Alexis. She checked her watch and was shocked to see that she had spent over two hours out of the precinct and in Bricks Company.

"Alexis, Hi!"

"Hey Kate, is this a bad time?"

"No.. No, I am just heading back to the 12th."

"I called you to ask a favor, you know Dad is coming home tomorrow night…"

"Yes, we had plans to get together this weekend."

"Oh good, I just got a call from Mom. She called to remind me that this was our spa weekend. We planned this last spring, a weekend at a spa in the Hamptons."

"It sounds nice."

"It would be if dad hadn't been away for a month. Anyway there is no way to postpone the trip. Could you pick Dad up from the airport?"

"Sure Alexis, and don't worry your Dad will still be here when you get back. Black Pawn probably won't do another book tour until the next Nikki Heat book gets published."

"We can always hope." Alexis agreed….

 **A/N):** As always please forgive the typo's and grammar. Thank you to all who read my work. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N):** A shout out for Midnight Syndicate and Their "Gates of Delirium" cd. Enjoy **D.**

 **Chapter 4**

" **When Lovers cross the Portal Lost"**

 **The Airport**

 **Beckett and Castle**

Kate stood just beyond the Security Gate, waiting for flight 197 from Chicago to land. She had left work at 7:00pm so she would have no problems meeting the flight which was supposed to land at 8:30pm. It was now an hour later and they just announced that the flight would land in fifteen minutes. Kate's mixed emotions were causing her to chafe at the delay. She was both excited and terrified. Kate had not seen Rick for over a month. She wondered if his feelings for her which had been a veritable inferno of love and desire, had cooled. She was also terrified that they had not. Castle intense feelings scared her at times. Rick did not live his life by degrees but lived in two states on or off. She had used the delay to examine her own feelings. She had to admit that she did love him but could not express those feelings in words. She knew that she would show him with her actions. She let her mind wander on just how she would show him.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of movement. She focused and saw the back of a red haired girl wearing a black mourning dress with a black veil walking into the restroom. Beckett forgot about Castle and quickly moved in that direction. She was sure that its was the same dress that Alexis wore in her dream. She entered the restroom with her hand reflexively close to here gun. As she entered the florescent lights above began to flicker leaving the area in a gloomy twilight. The flickering bulbs buzzed angrily. She heard water dripping and the sound of footsteps.

"Detective Beckett…" she heard a ghostly voice whisper. It was hard to tell if the voice belonged to the Alexis of her dreams or not.

"Who's there? Alexis…. Is that you?"

She heard a young girls laugh echo around the room. She moved to the center of the room and bent to look under the stall doors looking for the black shoes.

"Detective Beckett… When Lovers cross the portal lost…."

The lights went off. There was a blood curdling scream, and the lights came up, bright and steady, Kate checked the stalls and they all were empty. She had been standing in the middle of the room and had not felt anyone pass by, but the room was empty. Kate ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She shook her head and chalked it up to vestigial images from her nightmare."

"Flight 197 from Chicago now arriving Gate 17A…" Beckett heard over the intercom.

She sighed, gave a quick glance in the mirror, half afraid that she would see herself ghostly pale or that she would she the black dressed girl behind her, like you always did in those scary movies. She saw only herself looking back.

She strode out of the restroom and over to the gate to pick up Rick, determined to put this little episode out of her mind.

Rick was standing at the baggage check dialing his phone. Kate's phone rang. "Beckett" she answered

"Kate. Are you on a case?" Rick sounded a little perturbed.

"Actually I am hot on the trail of a thief."

"Oh," he said disappointed. "A Thief? Wait….. What… But you're in homicide."

"This is a special case." She was managing to approach him on his blind side. "Personal you might say."

"Really?" Castle sounded interested.

"Yep" she said from right behind him. "I am chasing the man who stole my heart."

Richard turned around and gave her a grin. "I hope you cat the rat bastard"

"I will" not caring if there were any paparazzi around, she wrapped herself around him. Their lips met with a spark of electricity.

"I surrender" Rick said smiling after the kiss ended.

"What… Really? That easily huh? I was expecting a long chase maybe one that lasted all night."

"Well I will be happy to oblige, Kate. First however I will need some sustenance. I can't eat airplane food. I was thinking a late night dinner at the China Palace."

"Will the press catch us?" Kate still really wasn't ready for the scrutiny?"

"No, the Palace has great food nut it's not on the circuit. The lighting is low and Chow Wei is a friend, so we're golden."

"So you're ashamed to be seen with me." Kate teased.

"I am not going to win this am i?"

"Nope: Kate said giving him another kiss…..

 **The China Palace**

The ceiling of the restaurant was painted dark blue with tiny lights placed randomly around so that it resembled a night sky. The tables themselves were lit buy small lamps. The only normal lighting was above the Mongolian grill so the food could be prepared. The Palace had once been a retail store back in the 50's and although the decor was well maintained the place had an air of age. They were greeted by an elderly Chinese woman, who greeted Castle in Mandarin, to which Rick promptly returned.

"I didn't know you spoke Mandarin, Castle." Kate supplied

"I don't, not really, just a few phrases."

"Mr. Castle is being humble, he speaks good Mandarin" Their hostess said in heavily accented English.

The hostess led them to a table near the middle of the room. When the building was renovated they dug into the foundation and built a Koi pond. A fountain sprung up from the center and its spray gave off a quiet bubbling murmur. Lights under the water lit the pond so the Koi could be seen even at night."

"This is a special table. It is the lovers table. People who eat here have long happy marriages, or at least good sex, so I am told. "Said the hostess.

"Sit here a lot do you Rick?" Kate asked acidly

"No!" the hostess said "This is the first. All other times he sat elsewhere, He said that you were special."

Kate's heart melted a little bit, knowing that Castle had said she was special. Rick smiled and lay his hand atop hers. The mood was relaxed and the ambience of the room worked a subtle magic on Beckett, gone were her worries, and gone were the nightmares. A pretty young girl no older than Alexis came swiftly up to the table; she launched herself into a hug with Castle"

"Uncle Ricky!" she squealed delightedly.

"Mai Li, my how you have grown, Where does the years go?"

"Uncle Ricky" Kaye was amused.

"Yes, when I was researching "Storm Watch" I spent a lot of time talking to Chow Wei's father about his childhood here in New York."

"Storm Watch,that was one of your early novels."

"That's right; I got kind of adopted into the clan, The three floors about house four generation of the family." Castle explained, while gentle disengaging himself from the exuberant hug..

At the start of the meal several of the clan came to speak to Rick and get introduced to Kate. The food was absolutely divine, whether it was because of the cooks or the welcoming atmosphere, by the time that the soup was finished, they were left alone.

"So how did the book tour go?" Kate inquired.

"Not too bad. Aside from the rabid fans, that is."

"Castle those are the people that buy your books, they are the ones that make you rich."

"I am not talking about most of my fans, just those few who read my work and think its real."

"One of them asked me if Nikki Heat was good in bed. Another asked me what Derek Storm thought about getting killed. It's the people that read my books and everything else, the Gossip Rags, the reviews and think that they know me, those are the scary ones. At the first book reading I thought I saw Strom, which really freaked me out. I almost had another panic attack. I managed to keep it together but it was touch and go there for a while. That night I had one of my usual nightmares, but after that I I was ok."

"Oh, Richard." Was all she could say, She had not even thought that he might have trouble with crowns anymore.

"But on the Bright side, I got to meet a few people. I saw David Balducci in L.A. he was hawking one of his books to Hollywood. When I was in Virginia, I caught up with John Grisham."

"I thought he lived in Mississippi?"

"He spends half his time in Virginia and Half in Mississippi. Oh and while in Charlottesville, Virginia I was able to get a look at the room Edgar Allen Poe stayed in when he was going to the University of Virginia, which was very cool."

"You were near Ash Lawn and Monticello and you went to see Edgar Allen Poe's room?"

"I promised Alexis I would take her to Monticello at Christmas this year. They decorate the grounds all fancy. Oh and Williamsburg, they have their Grand Illumination. I told Alexis that the three of us would go for a weekend. Maybe we can catch a basketball game while we are there. They're supposed to be very good."

"Who Jefferson and Madison?" Kate was confused.

"No silly UVA. I think Alexis should see the campus it is very beautiful."

"I'm sorry to interrupt Uncle Ricky but the phone is for you." Mai Li said.

As Castle when off to the phone, Kate tried to calm her swirling mind. She still had not gotten used to the fact that Castle was including her in his family plans. As she thought about the possibility of going to Virginia with Richard and Alexis she realized that she was looking forward to the trip. She had never been south of the Mason Dixon line except to Florida. Her musings were cut short when Richard returned to the table, pale and shaken.

"What's wrong? Who was on the phone?"

"No one, that phone doesn't even work."

"Then what's wrong?"

Castle held up his phone. It was showing a picture of a wall with a pay phone to one side. Beside the phone were words written in red.

" _ **When the Lovers cross the Portal lost,**_

 _ **And the witches Bell doth toll the hour**_

 _ **The curse-ed dead will raise his head**_

 _ **And touch them with his power"**_

Right after I took the picture the words just disappeared….."

 **A/N):** I hope you are suitably intrigued. Next Chapters is "The Bailey Mansion". See you soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N):** Enjoy! **D.**

 **Chapter 5**

" **The Bailey Mansion"**

 **The Car**

 **Beckett and Castle**

The rest of dinner was filled with fits and starts of conversation and pregnant pauses. Beckett had gone over to the phone herself to make sure that Castle wasn't joking. The phone was indeed broken and the couplet was not on the wall. She had believed him, but her rational mind was having difficulty excepting the facts. She decided that someone was playing a very sick joke on them. Her mind worried at the problem and the logical holes in that scenario.

"Come on Kate, let's go home." Castle said as then opened their fortune cookies. Oh look, 'You are destined to be with your true love… in bed', goody. What's your fortune, Kate?"

"'The winds of change seldom blow gently. Sorry adding 'in bed' doesn't make it any better, Let's go Castle."

While they had been in the restaurant, clouds had gathered and it had begun to rain. Beckett saw a flash of lightening and heard the thunder reply. Normally she thought such storms were majestic and beautiful in a awe inspiring sort of way. Tonight it just added to the gloom she was feeling. Rick wrapped an arm around her as they quickly moved toward the car. His closeness and the smell of his Cologne were comforting, and she could admit that she wanted that comfort, she needed it.

As Beckett pulled into the sparse 11:00 pm traffic Richard broke the silence. "As I was flying in from Chicago I realized that next Friday is Halloween and I haven't even started planning for a party."

"Wasn't the Masquerade Ball enough for you?" Kate asked exasperated.

"That was a get well party… and that was over a month ago."

"Rene is probably already booked." Kate opined.

"Oh, no, nothing as grandiose as that. This will be a much smaller affair. Probably only about fifty or so, just a small intimate gathering. Just friends and the like. Alexis and I do the decorating and some of the treat making, and then we cater the rest. I was thinking that you could go as a sexy pirate captain and I could be your first mate, Or I could go as Green Lantern and you could Black Canary. I can picture you in tight fitting Black Leather…"

"No Castle, I don't play dress up…"

"Come on Kate work with me here, it's not like I suggested that you dress in Lingerie and come as a Victoria Secrets model. All thought you can if you want to…"

"Castle…." Kate was interrupted but the sound of the police band radio crackling to life.

"Beckett…" it sounded like Esposito but the storm was causing static."….body….. 114th and Lex…. Ryan and ….in route…."

"Well it looks like it's going to be a long night…" Kate said regretfully

"I understand, a homicide detective's work is never done." Rick said

"Do you want me to drop you off?" Kate asked.

"What, are you kidding? We haven't worked a case together in months"

Kate was glad that Rick was willing to ride along. It would certainly help her state of mind. Rick reached over and stroked her leg, causing her to shiver with pleasure. She was looking forward the end of this case and some quiet time with Castle.

"I want some time alone with you, Richard, soon"

"I am at your beck and call, Kate"

It took about fifteen minutes to get to the scene. It was a large house and grounds with a high brick wall surrounding the spacious grounds. The front gate was open and Beckett pulled in. Esposito's car was already there, sitting behind the ME's van and a cruiser. Beckett pulled up behind Esposito. The two got out to survey the scene,

It was eerily quiet. Most of the time there were Police and CSU swarming but all the cards were empty and the only movement was of the cruiser's light flashing. A chill ran up Beckett's spine and she shivered for no reason. They moved to the open front door. It was silent inside.

"Ryan… Esposito…." Kate called.

" _Beckett in here…." came_ an echo from in front of them. Kate saw what looked to be a flashlight beam coming from down the hall. Beckett moved forward cautiously. Her mind was screaming caution.

"You know if this were a horror move we are doing exactly what we shouldn't do." Castle remarked.

"Well it's a good thing we aren't….."

All at once four things happened, Lightning struck, Beckett's Flashlight went out, there was a blood curdling scream and the front door slammed….

 **The Bailey Mansion**

 **Castle and Beckett**

…The door slammed.

The foyer was in utter blackness, illuminated by random flashes of lightning. Beckett struck her flashlight with the palm of her hand, trying to reignite the light. After the third try she was successful. She heard the front door rattle. Panning her light to the door she saw Rick vainly trying to get the door open.

"It's stuck" he reported.

"I guess the wind slammed it shut."

"The wind, really Kate, that's what you are going for?" Castles eyes were a little rild.

"Calm down Castle," Beckett said placatingly.

"Calm down…. Kate did you ever see Stephen King's 'Rose Red'? It's about a haunted house that eats people."

"Richard, that was fiction." Beckett said placing her hand upon the writer's shoulder.

"This is the Bailey Mansion. The most haunted location in all of New York."

"There's no such thing as haunted houses." Beckett countered.

"Really… There are more things in heaven than are dreamt of in you philosophies my dear Kate."

"Now you're quoting Shakespeare?"

"Well paraphrasing but yeah."

"I know you are a novelist and all but you are letting your imagination run away with you."

"Kate…" Rick abruptly stopped talking and began to move into the house. He walked into the entry hall and over to a side door he turned the knob and opened the door. It opened into a parlor.

"Richard…. what?"

"I thought I was a light coming from under the door and a shadow cross in front of the door."

The room was still furnished with white drop clothes covering the chairs and sofa. Books still lined the two shelves that were on either side of a large fireplace.

"We need to find Ryan and Esposito."

"I'll lay dollars to donuts they are not here" Castle said in oddly calm voice.

"Of course they are Castle; we got the call….. Their car is just outside."

"Is it? Or is it just like the writing on the wall at the restaurant?"

Kate strode to a window that looked out on the front of the house. The windows were barred but she could see the driveway, the car, the cruiser and the van had all vanished. During a lightning strike she saw that the gate at the end of the driveway was closed.

"This is not possible, Castle. Cars just don't vanish," Beckett felt a small tremor of fear and logic gave way to superstition. .

"I give you exhibit two, my phone is showing no service."

Kate checked her phone as well and Castle was correct neither phone showed any service.

They searched the ground floor but could find no evidence of anyone else in the house. Most of the rooms were even devoid of furniture . The house was deathly quiet. As they searched, Kate became more nervous, conversely Castle seemed to become preternaturally calm. The ended their search back in the Lounge. Castle searched the mantle and found a book of matched. He checked the damper and lit the fire.

"Castle, you are going to burn the place down." Kate exclaimed.

"No I won't, these old places have chimney caps that let the smoke out but won't let the critters in."

"How can you be so calm? You were wigging out earlier."

"You know how curious I am. i figure that this old place had a reason for getting us here, so I am curious."

"That is absolutely crazy." Kate said halfheartedly.

"I figured out the first two lines of our poem. 'When Lovers cross the portal lost"

"Alright Castle, thrill me with your acumen."

"Ooow, Silence of the Lambs reference. It is so hot when you quote movies."

"Get on with it Castle."

"Alright, 'when lovers cross' refers to us."

"We haven't… Known each other … in the Biblical sense." Kate said tactfully

"True, but in the turn of the century sense, we are. We have been seeing each exclusively and we are together most days."

"Ok, I'll grant you that, but what is 'the portal lost'?"

"Well it's very metaphorical but this house is the portal lost."

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, this house was originally built just after the Civil War. It was a sanitarium. About fifty years later it closed and it was purchased by Ezra Bailey and converted into a home, it was eventually 'lost' to the state about seventy-five years ago, when his dependence could not pay the property taxes. because they lost their money in the Great Depression"

"How do you know so much about this place?" Kate asked.

"Discovery Channel, Alexis and I were watching one of those haunted house shows. The kicker was that Ezra and Family were attacked and most were killed in this house by an immigrant from Europe, Klaus.. Something or other. He was the grounds keeper. He killed the whole family then shot himself. Well not the whole family, Ezra survived with a gunshot to the shoulder."

"Ok, Richard what does the rest of the couplet mean."

"'And the witches bell doth toll the hour.'" Rick checked his watch and sat down on the hearth with his back to the fire. "Well the Witching hour is about an hour and a half away."

"The Witching Hour is Midnight, which was over a half hour ago."

"In the modern era it is midnight but before then it was between 3:00am and 4:00am."

"And rest of it? What does that mean?" Kate inquired, sitting beside him.

"I have no idea but it should start soon…."

 **A/N):** I hope you enjoyed this twist of the screw. Please forgive the Typos and grammar mistakes. **D.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N):** Sorry for the delay. I had to have eye surgery and it took me longer than I expected to get back to where I could write again and then it took a while longer to get back into the story. Sorry for the Typos and grammars. Fnjoy! D.

 **Chapter 6**

" **The Curse-ed Dead"**

 **The Baily Mansion"**

 **Beckett and Castle**

Kate leaned her head on Rick's shoulder. The warmth of the fire and the closeness of Castle had gradually unclenched her nerves. That combined with a couple of nights of fitful sleep had lulled her into a lassitude. When she went on outing with her parents as a child, she would stretch out on the backseat on the trip home. She would close her eyes and listen to her parents talk. She would eventually be lulled into a semi-conscious state where she felt like she asleep but could still hear her parents. She felt that way now, but instead of her parents she could hear the sounds of the rain and the settling of the house.

"Kate wake up." It sounded like her mother's voice.

"Whoa, Kate… Easy, you just fell asleep." Rick's voice was comfortable and consoling.

"I'm alright Castle. I just dreamed about my parents."

"I hope it was a pleasant dream." Rick inquired

"Just about riding in the car as a child, we would go on day trips, to the zoo or to a farm to pick berries, things like that. On the way home, if it were after dark, I would fall asleep in the back seat."

"Pleasant memories then, good. The only cars I rode in as a kid were taxis… or limos."

"Martha never drove?"

"No, thank goodness, She was New York born and bred I really didn't drive until I lived out in L.A.."

"How much longer do we have" Kate asked.

"Not long." Castle replied, checking his watch.

"As if on cue, there was a scream that appeared to emanate from upstairs.

They crept upstairs cautiously. The lightning had ceased so the only light was their flashlights, which only seemed to deepen the shadow, not dispel them. Castle reached over to clasp Beckett's hand. They each drew some comfort from their touch. The layer of dust was kicked up by a phantom wind and Castles imagination saw faces in the dust swirls.

"Kate, remind me not to go to any haunted houses.. at night… ever again. I have a hard enough time getting to sleep after a good Stephen King novel. Right now I don't think I will go to sleep for weeks."

"Richard, don't go into any more haunted houses."

His response was cut off by another scream. They moved quickly toward the sound. They came to a halt in front of a heavy looking wooden door. Beckett reached out to turn the knob only to draw hwr hand quickly back.

"Cold" was all she could say.

Castle steeled himself and gripped the brass knob. He felt the shock of cold all the way up his arm. Grimly he turned the knob. The door slowly swung inward. This room was furnished but there were no drop clothes. It was decorated in early twentieth century style furniture. The pair instinctively broke their contact with each other and began to explore the room.

Beckett moved over to the bed and moved the curtain aside. It was a large four poster bed. Judging by the delicate lace patterns it was a woman's bed. Kate could almost smell the woman's delicate perfume. When she moved the curtain aside she half expected to see a dead woman lying there. The bed was empty.

"Castle what do you know about the family and the murders?"

Castle was over near a writing desk. "Well Ezra had a wife, Constance and a son Joseph. But according to the locals his pride and joy was his eldest child, a daughter named Deborah Anne. She was reported to be quite the beauty. Ezra was at the height of his wealth and influence when the tragedy happened. He was a steel magnate. About a year after the murders he remarried to a Rose Mulvaney. She refused to move in here so they lived uptown. He had three children from his second marriage. Patrick, Ezra jr. and R,sy. He bequeathed the house and his business to Patrick."

"Did Ezra give any reason for Klaus going crazy." Kate was curious now.

"Ezra said the Klaus had an unhealthy obsession with Deborah. She had just spurned his advances when he snapped and killed everybody, except Ezra of course… I think that I might have figured out the second half of the couplet."

"Really?" Kate said bemused.

"Yeah, if the first part was about us entering house then the second must be about Klaus."

"Why Klaus."

"Well murder and then suicide would certainly cause him to be cursed, so Klaus is going to do something."

"That doesn't sound very fun."

Kate looked down at the bed again. There was now a bloodstain on the bed. Kate slowly reached down and felt the stain; it felt slick and slightly sticky just like a recent blood stain would. "Castle, come over here." Kate Beckoned.

Rick moved toward Kate but tripped over something and went down.

"Rick" Kate shouted.

"I'm fine. I just tripped over the hearth. The only things hurt are my pride and dignity…. Hang on.. I think I have found something… " Kate heard the scraping of stone. "Hmmm.. Interesting."

Kate shone her flashlight over in Rick's direction, but cloud only see the top of his head. The rest of him was blocked by the bed. The dust motes swirled as uf agitated by a ghostly breeze.

"I found a journal hidden underneath of one of the hearthstones, It appears to be Deborah Anne's. Come on the light is better down by the fire."

 **A/N):** Sorry this is short but I wanted to get a chapter posted fairly quickly **.** Just a chapter or two left


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N):** I profusely apologize for such a long delay. I ended up having a second eye surgery and then an absolute horrible case of writer's block. But here is the next to last chapter. Hopefully, I will post the conclusion sometime next week.

 **Chapter 7**

 **"Time out of Mind"**

 **The Bailey Mansion**

 **Kate**

Kate and Castle moved back down to the lounge, the golden light emanating from the fireplace had an ethereal quality, and Kate idly wondered at the longevity of the burning logs. The fire was just as bright as it was when Castle first lit it. The warmth from the blaze permeated her tired body; an almost somnolent lassitude seemed to fog her mind. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs, but it seemed to only make matters worse, making her dizzy as well as fuzzy. Her inner voice screamed loudly for her to wake up and run out of the house, but it was a distant clamoring in Kate's mind.

Her body seemed to move of its own accord following Richard to the fireplace, or perhaps Castle was some sort of evil puppeteer, dragging her along in his wake. When Castle sat down, his back to the fire, she followed suit. She leaned into his warmth and lay her head on his shoulder. His even breathing as he perused the journal lulling her even deeper into her lassitude, and just as in her childhood she fell into that weird state of sleep where she was still aware of her surroundings. She could hear Richard's breathing and the sound of his fingers turning the pages but she heard other sounds. She would have sworn that she heard the soft whinny of a horse and the jingle of a bridle. She could smell the musty but pleasant odor of a hay barn….

 _She strode confidently down a corridor, the silk of her gown caressing her legs almost lovingly. The storm had ended hours ago but the sweet smell of the rain was still in the air. She was going to meet HIM, the man who had swept her off her feet. He had a rough exterior but within he had the soul of a poet. Her ears strained but the house was quiet. Her parents had long ago gone to bed and to sleep. Patrick was still awake but he knew her secret and had promised not to interfere._

 _Her father would never understand. He weighed everything by either gain or loss. Klaus could never live up to the standard of a suitor that her father would approve of. He wanted her to marry a dusty old newspaper magnate. Richard something or other. The man was very rich but was positively a fossil. He was only a few years younger than her father. She had absolutely no interest or intention of marrying the man. She would marry Klaus or none at all._

 _She exited the house by the ballroom doors walked across the patio and into the garden. The night was alive with the music of nature. Frogs croaked, a Whippoorwill sang. The Full moon broke through the clouds. It was a perfect night for love. She quickly strode to the small pond and slipped under the branches of the willow tree…._

 **Castle**

The journal was proving a fascinating read, Deborah wrote in a fine hand and had what his most pompous English Professor called a "felicity of expression". It was very intriguing. It turned out that she and Klaus were in love and thinking of eloping. She painted Ezra with a broad brush of tyranny and pig-headedness. Ezra apparently had promised her to a wealthy Newspaper mogul who was easily twice her age.

Castle had to smile as Kate pressed into his side as she fell asleep. He couldn't blame her. He was sure that she had gotten just as much sleep as he had the last two nights which meant almost none at all. The nightmare had shaken him so badly that the following night he had sat at the cramped desk in the hotel room, laptop in front of him trying to write the opening chapter, but gotten nowhere. That stupid pair of couplets seemed burned on his consciousness. He even pulled out the old standby and tried free writing. When he looked at what he had written he got a very "Shining" vibe. He had written the stupid couplets over and over. About 3:00 am he had stopped his fruitless and futile attempts at his next novel, logged onto Youtube subjecting himself to a whole lot of movie and TV show reviews and cat videos, lots of cat videos, but nothing made him sleepy. It wasn't until the sun started to come up that he was able to close his eyes and get a couple of hours sleep. Until Paula pounded on his door telling him he had a TV interview to get to.

The smell of Beckett's perfume began to tickle his nose, but it was wrong, she didn't wear a lilac scent. The heat from her body and her regular breathing began to work on him. The journal no longer held his interest. His mind was fogged by fatigue and his thoughts began to chase each other around his brain. The scent of Lilacs grew stronger. He numbly wrapped his arms around Kate and pulled her down beside the fireplace. His sense of chivalry made sure that she was between him and the fire so any monsters would get him first.

 _It was a fine night. The bracing smells of nature after a good rain filled his senses. He could almost forget the acrid stink of the factories in the city. The scent from the gardens surrounding the house could almost mask the factory odors. He got up not caring if he jostled his sleeping wife. She would not wake from her stupor. He was firmly convinced that the old cow would sleep through Gabriel's Trumpet. He allowed himself a grim smile thinking of his corpulent wife wandering around an empty New York after all the rest had been called either Heaven or Hell, not that he believed in either, but it was an amusing conceit._

 _He fumbled in the dark for his breeches and pulled them on. He had decided that the night was too good to waste on sleep. He would go and see his mistress Rosy. At the very thought of grinding against her fresh, young, and supple body his smile turned to a leer and his body began to burn with desire._

 _Suddenly the room was hot, so he moved to the balcony doors and stepped into the night. With that lecherous grin still on his face, he surveyed his domain. It didn't take long for the grin to change into a snarl of rage…._

 **Kate**

 _She waited with excited anticipation. She yearned to be in his embrace. They had been lovers for a few months and she still couldn't wait to feel his skin against hers. She did not care if she was not his first lover, she only cared that she was his lover now and she would be his forever. She lovingly pressed the ring that dangled on a chain that lay nestled between her breasts. Klaus had spent all his savings to buy her an engagement ring, outward proof of his eternal love. It would take him many months to save up enough so they could elope. She had offered Klaus her jewelry, but he said that a man must be able to afford to feed his wife. He had even taken shift work at one of the factories. That worked kept him away from her until very early in the morning. With keeping her father's grounds by day and working at a factory at night meant they would elope that much sooner, it left little time for love. Her heart skipped several beats as she heard the garden gate open and he lover moved quickly to the willow tree. Their kiss seemed to last a century as they broke apart they began to fumble with their clothes. It did not take long for them to fall into a lover's embrace. Engrossed as they were in each other they did not hear the sound of a gun being cocked….._

 **Castle**

 _He was literally seeing red. He had been gazing out on his domain and had seen the ultimate affront. His Jewel, his Lovely obedient daughter was locked in a carnal embrace, with a foreigner, and not just foreign but a German. His ground's keeper was deflowering his precious daughter. His mind seethed with rage. How could this be? His obedient daughter, who was to marry into an old money family was deliberately disobeying him. He had forbidden her from associating in any way with the help. She should not sully herself so. His worldview cracked. Something had gone wrong, but what. Were all of his family as defective as his beloved daughter. It must be the Cow's fault. Yes, that was it. His fat cow of a wife had disgorged a litter of defective runts. He had no doubt that his entire family was defective in some way. The Cow had introduced his daughter to poetry and authors of fiction. That had to be it. She has poisoned them all! Dimly, somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if this was what it felt like to go berserk,like the Vikings of old? He would fix them. Yes, he would fix them all. The time for reckoning had arrived….._

 **A/N):** Questions? Comments? Smart Remarks? I hope this was a satisfying payoff. I should be able to wrap this up in the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N):** First I must apologize Deborah brother was Joseph not Patrick. I'll blame the late night and my eagerness to post the chapter. For those that don't like any supernatural with your Castle. I have included an alternate ending. If you like the supernatural aspects then you don't need to read the alternate ending. I am using the free version of Grammarly to catch as many of the Grammar miscues as possible. As always Enjoy! **D.**

 **Chapter 8**

" **And touch them with his power."**

 **The Bailey Mansion**

 **Kate & Castle**

BANG!

The two partner's sleep was abruptly broken by a gunshot. The sat up in unison and looked dazedly at each other. There was a second shot. It had a strange echoic quality as if the sound had to travel from yesterday to get to their ears. There was a pause and then echoing sounds of screams long since dead. Another shot and another pause. At last, the sounds of a young man begging and one more shot. Then unexpectedly another shot.

During this seeming eternal tableau, the pair was transfixed, not able to move a muscle. With the fifth shot, their eyes locked.

"Klaus is innocent" they chimed in unison.

Responding to some urgent need Kate and Castle got up and began to inspect the mansion. Where previously the Master bedroom had been empty they found a large canopied bed a large red stain in the center. There was even a faint smell of copper and cordite, gunpowder, and blood. They were so profoundly shaken by their experience that they did not question the mysterious appearance of the phantom furniture.

In a second room, which they assumed was the son, Joseph's room; the blood stain was on a writing desk. Castle searched the desk in vain for any additional writings but found none. They checked Deborah's room to find it as they had left it. Castle went to the hearth to search for more loose stones but came up empty. When he straightened up he saw a very puzzled look on Kate's beautiful face.

"What Kate?" Rick queried.

"Deborah was killed in the garden not up here, but there is a blood stain here."

"That what you are taking away from this, a misplaced bloodstain?"

"Why is there a bloodstain here?" Kate persisted.

"I imagine for dramatic effect. I am sure that whoever is doing this wanted to peak our interest. We are kind of trapped inside, at least we were." Castle replied. "Or perhaps Ezra moved her body here so no one would question why she was out in the garden, naked at such a late hour."

Kate looked at her watch. It was 4:45 am. Normally when Kate only got a couple hours sleep she always felt wooly but tonight she actually felt alright. "If we can escape I vote for a serious coffee binge. I need a dose of reality before I try to examine tonight's events."

"Agreed, nothing makes reality more real than a cup of Java and a cruller," Castle commented.

They made their way to the front door and found it slightly ajar. Out front, theirs was the only vehicle in the driveway and the front gate stood open. They drove in silence to their favorite all night diner and sat quietly drinking a cup of coffee. Kate opted for a Bear claw instead of a cruller and Rick had steak and eggs. After a long silence and after the sun came up they began to talk.

"It was Ezra right?" Kate asked

"Did you dream about him?" Rick queried.

"No, I was Deborah… you?

"Yeah, I wish I had been Klaus, and then I could've gotten lucky."

Kate just gave him a disappointed stare.

"If what we 'saw' is to be believed, Ezra caught his darling daughter and Klaus 'en flagrante delicto' and basically lost his shit." Castled laid the diary on the table. "We do have physical evidence. Deborah's diary does confirm that she and Klaus were lovers and that at least Joseph knew. There is an entry where she describes Joe walking in on them. She also mentioned an arraigned marriage to a Newspaper Mogul."

"Yeah, In my dream she was over being hitched to a fossil," Kate interjected.

Castle looked amused.

"Her words not mine."

"Well, Ezra decided that he would rather be with his mistress than his fat cow of a wife."

Kate looked disgusted

"His words not mine." Castle responded, "Anyway, he decided right there and then to wipe the slate clean, as it were, and kill off the lot of them. He shot Klaus point blank in the head and then his daughter then back upstairs to shoot wife and son."

"Why not shoot Deborah then Klaus?"

"Well in my dream… vision… whatever it was, Klaus was um... On top"

Kate smiled at Richard's discomfort. Despite all the braggadocio Martha had raised a gentleman, well at least most of the time he was a gentleman." Okay, I'll take what we experienced at face value but why us and why now?"

"Well while you were in the lady's room, making yourself feel human, I found this." He presented her with a picture.

She flipped the old photo over and saw Deborah Anne '09. Looking at the picture the blood drained from her face. It looked like a picture of her mother when she was a young girl, except for the old fashion high-necked dress, that is.

"You told me once that your Mother's maiden name was Bailey. I did a quick check on ancestry dot com. It appears you are related to the man, albeit rather distantly, Deborah Anne and Your mom could be sisters they look so much alike. And why now? I did a Google search on the place. A hotel chain is trying to buy the place to tear it down for yet another posh five-star hotel."

"Ok, I'll admit that Deborah looks a little like my mom, but how could "they" know about the hotel plans"

"They?" Castle queried with a grin, amused at Beckett's discomfort.

"You know…. The ghosts" Kate almost whispered, and blushed slightly in embarrassment, mortified that she was even considering the existence of such things.

"Who knows? There are more things in heaven and earth…."

"Yeah, yeah, Shakespeare I know. But there is one thing that really bothers me and you haven't covered it."

"Just one thing?" Castle smiled, bemused.

"The red haired girl I saw at the airport and in my dream."

"What happened at the airport?" Rick asked concerned and a little bit intrigued.

Kate proceeded to explain all that happened while waiting for his flight to land. The red-haired girl, who she thought at first, was Alexis, the light going off, the couplet, all of it. Kate looked at Castle hoping that it was something he couldn't explain, because if he couldn't explain then this would all be just a hallucination and not some twisted reality.

Castle pondered, and then frowned. "I have an explanation", he said, "But you are not going to like it."

"I don't like any of this."

"Ok, even I will admit that this is a stretch, but perhaps it was Deborah's unborn child."

"What?!"

"In one of her last entries D.A. is gushing effusively about how excited she is to be carrying Klaus's baby, moreover she is convinced that it is a girl."

"And the red hair?" Kate quipped unbelievingly.

"Ezra was second generation Irish-American; he was married to an Irish immigrant. The Irish are known for two things Red hair and a bad temper. They don't call it 'Getting your Irish up for nothing"

"You expect me to believe that?" Kate spat.

"I expect nothing of the sort. Let's finish our breakfast and return to the mansion for a daylight inspection. Let's lay these ghosts, shall we?"

"All right" Kate agreed.

They finished their meals in silence, each pondering the past nights events. They quickly finished, paid and started off…..

 **The Bailey Mansion**

 **Saturday Morning**

 **Castle & Beckett**

They pulled up in front of the mansion once more. The exterior of the house showed signs of age and disrepair that had been unseen last night. Castle strode to the front door and cautiously opened it. The door was so weathered and warped that it would not close all the way. Dust and detritus piled up around the walls. They moved to the Lounge door and opened it to reveal a dusty, empty room.

Beckett moved over to the fireplace. Dense, dusty cobwebs choked the hearth. No trace of last night's fire could be found. The cloth draped furniture was gone. There were no marks in the dust where the furniture had been but where they slept was curiously clean but no body prints in the dust. They searched the house from top to bottom and found nothing, no beds, no blood stains, and no ghostly sounds. They spent two hours going over the house but nothing. At last, there reached the master bedroom. Beckett was scanning the walls looking for speakers, hidden wires, anything that would reveal the trick, so she could go home and sleep the sleep of the just.

Beckett noticed that Castle had moved to the balcony door. He suddenly froze. "Kate" he whispered, "Come here".

Kate moved over to stand beside him. His right arm slipped across he back to give her a one-armed hug while the other pointed out into the garden below. Kate scanned the view. What had once been a beautifully tended garden now seemed a tangle of weeds and thorns. The small pond she remembered from her dream was green with algae.

"Under the willow" Rick hissed.

Kate looked at the scraggly tree the weeping branches almost sweeping the ground. Beneath the branches, almost protected from view were two Shadows standing next to the trunk wrapped in a lover's kiss. Kate felt the gooseflesh on her arms. She was pleasantly surprised when she felt Castle's lips brush her neck.

"They seemed really happy in my dream," Kate remarked.

"In mine too… well, to be honest, they were just acting really lustful in my dream. You know I am a firm believer that Love transcends all. You've read enough of my books to know that."

They stood together watching silently while the shadows slowly faded from sight. The both of them lost in their own private thoughts. They were brought from their reverie by sounds from downstairs. They moved quickly down to the foyer. A group of people with lighting equipment and cameras were busy setting up. Kate flashed her badge. "Who are you?" she queried

A bespeckled academic type extended a hand. "Brandon Myers and these are some of my students."

"Oh, I know you." Castle remarked," You're host of 'A Haunted America'"

"That's right, we are here for the next week to film and see if we can document any hauntings. The city gave us permission to film before this place gets torn down. And the reason you two are here, detective?"

"Oh, hazard inspection, we just wanted to make sure there were no homeless squatting here before you guys came in." Kate lied "Well we didn't find anything so we will get out of your way" with that Kate grabbed Castle's arm and headed for the door.

Once safely in the car, Kate looked over at Castle, "Do you think they'll find anything?"

"Who knows? Sometimes they do sometimes they don't. It's a crap shoot. In this instance I doubt it. I think that the entities might have used up all their energy last night. Besides what did we really see that wasn't dream induced?"

"You think we dreamt the whole thing?" Beckett asked somewhat astonished at Castles cynicism.

"I think that the veil that separates us from where spirits dwell can become very thin in places and sometimes, just sometimes we mere mortals are allowed a glimpse through. That is what I think we experienced. Now, I believe that a very beautiful and incredibly sexy New York City Detective said she wanted to spend so alone time with me. So why don't we head to my apartment? Martha and Alexis will be gone until late tomorrow night."

"Why, do you think she'll be there?" Kate said with a knowing smile.

"I certainly hope so…"

 _ **Fini**_

 **A/N):** I hope that you enjoyed this little ghostly romp. It was certainly fun to write. So let me know if you enjoyed it and if you like another story in this vein. As promised below there is an alternate ending for those who want their Castleverse grounded in reality and not in the supernatural. Those who enjoyed this tale need not read on. Be well and see you in the future. **D.**

******************************************************************************************** **Alternate Ending  
**

 **The Florida Keys**

 **Castle, Beckett, and Alexis  
**

 **Aftermath**

The cool autumn breeze caressed the author's face. He looked up to see Kate and Alexis walking along the shore looking for shell and other curiosities. It was well into October but with the Gulf Stream the water was still comfortable, but the cool breeze dissuaded the women from wearing swimsuits. Kate and Alexis both wore jean shorts each held their sandals idly in one hand while using the other to search for treasures. Rick back down to the scribbled notes in his old battered notebook. This story he wouldn't put on his laptop for fear of being hacked and considered a laughing stock. This was a personal story, weird as it was. So he had searched around and found that he had packed one of his old high school notebooks. So while the two most important women in his life enjoyed their idle time on the beach, he dutifully scribbled this tale down, forcing it out of his brain and onto the page.

"Are you okay Richard?"

Castle look into the eyes of the women he loved. "I'm fine Kate" Castle lied "I just had a really strange story idea and wanted to get it down on paper."

"You tossed and turned and an awful lot last night." Kate worried

"Just an excess of sexual energy." Castle deflected.

Kate seemed unsatisfied but dropped the matter. She picked up her tablet and began to peruse the New Your Times. There was a comfortable silence between them for a while until at last.

"Huh." Kate murmured

"Huh, what?" Rick asked

"They're going to tear down the old Bailey Mansion to build a new hotel." Beckett supplied.

All of a sudden Castle felt colder than the cool breeze warranted.

 _ **FINI**_

 **A/n):** Thanks for all the support and encouragement that you, my dear readers, have given me. See you soon **D.**


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